Womanpoly

Womonpoly is a game prototype that we did in the span of 2 weeks as a result of one of the assignments during our masters. 

There is only one level which you enter after Rolling the dice for the first time, we encourage players to explore the whole world and read through the tiles. To play you only need to use the Left Mouse Button and Space on the keyboard. 

We highly encourage the use of headphones to immerse yourself in the experience. 

In this version of Womanpoly each tile is an instance of gendered oppression, ranging from street harassment, objectification, workplace discrimination to domestic violence, body shaming and beauty standards and denial of bodily autonomy. The “physical laws” of this world are the same as Monopoly’s mechanics : turn-based movement, dice-drive chance and closed cyclical path. These mechanics have critical meaning in the Womanpoly context as they mirror imposed and systemic oppression to women. The political system is patriarchy, at multiple levels : interpersonal, institutional, domestic, legal/bodily.

Movement only offers an illusion of change. Advancing forward almost systematically lands the “player” on another misogynistic tile, so “progress” or “moving forward” just means meeting the next form of oppression, not escaping it. Going backward is only possible through external events such as the “go back home” tile and is not chosen. Such as some women are forced to stay at home and have no autonomy, it is inflicted. The board itself is the only thing that truly doesn’t change. “Players” are confined to predefined tiles and can’t step outside. This imprisonment stands for the idea that oppression is not an occasional obstacle but a lifelong, inescapable condition, unless the structure itself is rebuilt or changes. This idea is reinforced by the board’s circular shape : each lap loops the “player” back through the same categories of injustice, without ending. It can be read as generational redundancy, which leads each new generation of women to suffer systemic misogyny throughout their life.

The project was inspired by an art piece "Womanpoly" from Media Lab University of Oviedo.